


Cracked Ribs and First Kisses

by firstdegreefangirl



Category: Pure Genius (TV)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Banter, Boss/Employee Relationship, Divorce, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Flirting, I think I've tagged everything now?, Internalized Homophobia, Kinda?, M/M, Not Really?, Not much Comfort though, Physical hurt, Slow Burn, basically W is really really sure he's not gay, kind of?, made-up medicine, maybe? - Freeform, only he is, there's some though, they talk about that at the end though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-04
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-28 04:46:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10072484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firstdegreefangirl/pseuds/firstdegreefangirl
Summary: When his personal life falls apart, Walter throws himself into his job. But what happens when his son has to be treated at Bunker Hill?Undiscovered feelings, that's what.Wow, that makes this sound way more serious than it is. Everyone's fine, I promise. And I'm probably the only person alive to ship James and Walter, but I do anyway. Enjoy my contribution to this (grossly underpopulated) fandom!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, here's the longest continuous thing I've ever written. Which really just makes the coherent plot line even more impressive.
> 
> Standard disclosures: I'm a mass media major, not a doctor. Therefore, all the medical technology in this is made up. And all the real medicine is based on lots of research, but likely still wrong (thanks, WebMD!)
> 
> All the thanks in the world to my wonderful beta for putting up with my harebrained ideas, fan fiction or otherwise.
> 
> I don't own Pure Genius. If I did, there would be a season two.

When Walter Wallace is forcibly woken by his ringtone at three o’clock on a Wednesday morning, his first thought is of Bunker Hill.

 _Dammit, James. You_ have _on-call doctors. Why are you calling me at 3 a.m.? It’s not like you ever actually take my advice anyway_.

But nonetheless, Bunker Hill is his job, and James Bell is his boss. So he rolls his eyes and slides his thumb across the screen.

“Dr. Wallace.”

“Walter.”

 _Well, that certainly isn’t what I expected_.

“Jules? Isn’t it like 6 a.m. there?” He’s still half-asleep, sure, but Walter still knows his wife wouldn’t call this early without good reason. “Is everything OK?”

“Everyone’s fine, Walter. But I don’t think we are.”

“Jules?” Walter drags his body to sit up against the headboard.

“Walter, you’ve canceled the last three times you planned to come home. Do you know the last time we talked to each other?”

“I know. But I’m the Chief of Medicine, honey. Sometimes that has to take priority over other things.”

“When James dragged me out there so you could convince me to undermine my work with the CDC. Walter, that’s the last time we talked, or saw each other, or anything. You told Luke you’d be here to watch him play his last baseball game. You _promised_. Do you know what that did to him?”

“He said it was fine.”

“Yeah, because he didn’t want to make you feel bad. But it crushed him.”

“Julienne-“

“Don’t act like this comes as a surprise, Walter.”

“What?”

“I want a divorce.”

“Oh.” It’s all he can think of to say.

“That’s all you have to say? ‘Oh?’”

“I—I don’t want that for us.”

“Well, you should have thought about that before you moved halfway across the country. We can’t keep pretending to be a family, Walter. You can’t do it all. Not all at once.”

“Jules, I.” Walter takes a deep breath. “Listen. Can we think about this before we make any decisions? Aren’t you getting ready for work?”

“Yes, but I didn’t want to put this conversation off any longer. I really didn’t think you’d pick up the phone.”

“I—the ringer stays on at night now. In case work calls.” As soon as he says it, Walter knows he’s misstepped.

“Of course. In case “work” calls. Anyway, we’ll talk about this soon. Have a good day, Walter.”

“You too, sweetheart.” Walter drops the phone in his lap and scrubs a hand down his face, the stubble on his chin scratching his palms lightly.

* * *

 

“Hey, W! How’s it going? You know we’ve got that procedure scheduled for today, right? The girl with the fasciitis?”

“James, I want to make sure you aren’t getting your hopes up on this. Trying to get human skin cells to grow over animal flesh, it’s kind of a long shot.”

“But W-“

“I know it’s worked in the labs, James. And it might work here. But you have a habit of making big promises. Someday, it won’t payoff. Sometimes, you think you know exactly how something’s going to work out, and it still falls apart.”

“Woah. OK, W. That’s pretty deep for 9:15. Are you sure we’re still talking about Celia’s leg? Which, by the way, we will _not_ be amputating, because this is going to work. There’s power in positivity, W.”

Walter can’t help rolling his eyes. “Tell that to my wife.”

“What’s that, W?” James presses a coffee into his hand, which he accepts gratefully. “You look tired, man. Sure everything’s OK?”

“Julienne asked me for a divorce this morning.”

“Ouch. What’d you say?”

“I told her that I didn’t want that, and that we should take some time to think on it before making any decisions. But she seems to have made up her mind.”

“Jeez, W. That sucks. But that’s not all of the problem, is it?”

“How do you do that?” Walter side-eyes the younger man and lifts an eyebrow.

“Do what?” He blinks twice, wide-eyed and curious.

“Just _read_ people like that. It’s creepy.”

“It’s easy. You keep fidgeting with your wedding band, like it’s bothering you to wear it. Someone who wanted to stay married wouldn’t mind wearing the ring. And you’ve hardly made eye contact with anyone here today. C’mon, Wallace. What’s the matter?"

“One, easy or not, it’s weird that you can just tell these things about people. Two, it’s possible that I’m not as excited about being married to Julienne as I once was. But what was I supposed to say? ‘Sure, honey. Let’s get divorced. I’ll sign the paperwork when I’m in town to collect my things.’ I just—I figured it would hurt more than this.”

“Well how does it feel?” James stops and tilts his chin up to look Walter in the eye.

“Numb, really. Like when you get a tooth pulled: they give you the Novocain so it doesn’t hurt, but you can still feel the yanking.”

“But pulled teeth always feel better after they come out, right?” He waits for Walter to nod questioningly before continuing. “You’d be more upset if you didn’t want this—if they were pulling a healthy tooth, if you will. I think you’re more upset that you don’t not want this than you are that it’s happening.”

“That was a lot of double negatives, James. And you really need to learn when not to read people so clearly. Now, let’s talk about Celia’s procedure. You didn’t promise her mother that we’d save the leg, did you?"

James knows well enough to drop it for now, so he starts yammering about the “power of positivity, come on, W, if we believe in it, we can make it happen!” instead.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's ahead: James puts his foot in his mouth (but his intention are pure), and drinks are had.

Two weeks to the day after Julienne brought it up, Walter flew back to Ohio and signed the divorce papers. He boxed up most of his things, with the promise to get the rest when he comes back at Christmas to see Luke.

 He hardly notices that James falls into step with him almost the moment he walks through the doors of Bunker Hill on Monday morning.

“W! You made it back! Listen,” James drops his voice from its usual just-a-little-too-loud-but-eternally-enthusiastic tone to an almost-whisper. “How are things with the big O?" 

Walter stops in his tracks and looks down at James.

“The big O?”

“Yeah, you know, the big— oh!” James’s eyes widen in realization. “No, no no no, that’s not what I—Ohio! I figured we could use code to talk about this, maybe you didn’t want everyone to know. I thought about calling it ‘the big D,’ but that’s pretty easily misconstrued.”

“So you went with the 'big O' instead?”

“It’s the thought that counts?”

“Sure.” Walter rolls his eyes and chuckles good-naturedly.

 “Anyway, how’s your son? How’s—yeah, I can’t come up with anything else positive about this one.”

“Luke’s all right. I think he feels a little betrayed by all this, but he’ll be OK. We went to the batting cages for a couple hours after I tied everything else down. He’s one hell of a hitter. If he sticks with it, I’d say he’s got a good chance at going college.”

“Yeah? Well, if he needs any recommendation letters …”

“I’ll keep you in mind, James. And as for the rest of it, it’s done. We signed all the forms, I packed my things. It’s done.”

“Well. At least it’s over with? And hey, you’ll get to see Luke again in like three months for Christmas, right?”

“I suppose. So, what are we dealing with today?”

* * *

 

For the next three days, Dr. Wallace dives into his work with a dedication only rivaled by Dr. Brockett. In fact, he spends so much time walking the halls of Bunker Hill that even Zoe notices.

“Dr. Wallace, is everything alright?” She catches up with him on his way down to the lab.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I don’t know, but I’m usually the only one who makes rounds this often. I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything going on that might—“

“Brockett!” _Thank God for James_ , Walter thinks as the younger man appears from inside one of the patient rooms. “Can I get an opinion on something?”

“Sorry, Walter, but I’ve gotta go. Duty calls.” Zoe pats his shoulder and peels off to join James. “What’s up, James?”

“Oh, nothing much. Why?”

“You said you needed my opinion on something? Is it a patient?”

“Riiiiight. Um, what do you think of this shirt?” James waves at his own torso. “Too form fitting or just the right amount of abs?”

“Before you can show too much ab, you have to _have_ them, James.” Zoe rolls her eyes and pokes gently at his stomach. “But no, I think the shirt looks nice.”

“Good! Great! Um, cool."

“Did you need something else or were you just jealous that I was talking to Dr. Wallace?” 

“No, no, not jealous. Um, but maybe take it easy on him for a bit? He’s, uh- you know, it’s really not my place to tell, but yeah. Just, yeah. Take it easy.”

“Um, alright. James, is everything OK?” Zoe’s brow furrows.

“In due time it will be, Brockett. In due time.”

* * *

 

The next time James runs into Walter, he’s coming back from the office he thinks James doesn’t know about.

(James knows about everything that goes on at Bunker Hill, but he prides himself on knowing when to intervene and when a guy just needs an office to get some work done.)

“Hey, W! Where you been?”

(But that won’t stop him from having a little bit of fun.)

“Oh, you know, around. I had a time set up to Skype with Luke.”

“How’s he doing? Need any college letters yet?”

“I’ll let you know if I ever get to talk to him.”

“He didn’t answer?”

“Oh, no. He answered. Just long enough to tell me that he was busy and would maybe call me back later.”

“That doesn’t seem so bad.”

“He isn’t going to call, James. Julienne’s turning my own kids against me. I love that woman, but she’s very good at making people agree with her, even if they don’t.”

“Funny, don’t you know someone else who does that too?” James lifts an eyebrow and chuckles.

“I guess I have a type then.”

“Hey, a bunch of us are going for drinks tonight after we get off. Why don’t you join us? Get out for a bit, maybe take your mind off things?”

“James, I really shouldn’t go out and drink tonight. I’ve got that procedure in the morning.”

“So just come out, but don’t drink. Come on, W, see the world!”

They bicker back and forth for a couple minutes more, before James has Walter convinced to join the gang for at least an hour or so, even if he doesn’t drink anything (even though he probably will).

James spends the afternoon studiously _not_ thinking about why it was so important to him that Dr. Wallace come out with them.

* * *

 

“So, can I buy you a drink?” James takes the seat across from Walter and props his elbows on the table.

“Does it count if it’s an open bar?”

“Only because I bought the alcohol for it.”

“Then absolutely. Double scotch, neat, please.” James taps the order into the tablet sitting on the table.

“Should be here shortly. What do you think of the new ordering system? Gonna revolutionize the bartending industry?”

Instead of responding (and, by doing so, bursting James’s bubble with his thoughts on the importance of a good bartender-customer relationship), Walter raises his eyebrows and tips his existing glass slightly toward James.

Who promptly pulls it out of Walter’s hand and tips back the rest of the whiskey, shaking his head and making a face.

“Gah, I don’t understand how people drink whiskey plain.”

“Well maybe if you didn’t steal other people’s drinks, you wouldn’t have to worry about that.”

“Ah, but W, if I always bought my own drinks, would I ever try anything new?” With a wink, James turns around and lifts two glasses off the tray of the waitress who just appeared behind him. “For you.” He passes the glass of amber liquid to Walter, keeping a bright red glass for himself.

Walter accepts his refill gratefully, but not without quirking an eyebrow as he looks pointedly at the other man’s glass.

“Sangria,” James explains as he swallows the first sip. “Try some?” Walter chuckles and shakes his head gently.

“Nah, I’m not a mixer kinda guy.”

“Oh, I see. Big, bad W has too much testosterone to handle such a cute little drink. Ohh-kay.” He sets the glass down and raises his hands in mock surrender. The next word stretched on for five syllables. “Fiiiiine, be that way, then. I’ll just enjoy my drink over here.”

But he doesn’t make any attempts to move away from Walter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I like comments and kudos much more than scotch (which is to say, at all).


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this super short transition! It's really just one teeny moment, but the idea wouldn't leave me alone, and I really liked it so I went with it. My writing, my rules.

It becomes a routine sooner than either of them want to admit. Luke bails on a Skype call, James takes Walter out for drinks after work. Sometimes the rest of the team goes too, but it’s frequently just the two of them in a booth at a bar, or in James’s apartment, or sitting at Walter’s kitchen counter.

On one particularly memorable night, they can’t get away from Bunker Hill for long, but James somehow procures a bottle of sparkling grape juice that they drink on the roof, passing the bottle back and forth. 

“This makes what, three weeks in a row we’ve done this?” Carbonation tickles Walter’s nose as he passes the bottle to James and wipes his hand across the back of his mouth.

“I think so, W. But it could be worse. At least you get to enjoy some great company.” All at once, James realizes how that could come across. “Shit. Not to say that Luke isn’t great. I mean, I’ve never met him. I just meant that--”

Finally, Walter takes pity on the younger man and interrupts him. “Not that I don’t love watching the great James Bell at a loss for words,” he chuckles when James sticks his tongue out, “but you’re fine. I know what you meant. And, you’re not wrong about the company either. I really appreciate you trying to get my mind off of this.”

“What else was I supposed to do? Stand by and watch you work yourself to death? I didn’t start Bunker Hill to let patients down, and I’m sure as hell not letting it happen to you.”

Walter doesn’t want to think about what that means. Right here, where he pressured Julienne into bending the rules to help James, he’s drowning his sorrows without a drop of alcohol. It shouldn’t feel as significant as it does.

* * *

When Christmas rolls around, just two months after the papers are signed, Walter finds himself dreading the idea of going back to Ohio for the holidays. Having to get a hotel in his hometown, facing the glares of the neighbors who have heard all the details from Jules. _No one in their right mind would want that_. So he calls instead, in the middle of the day, when he knows the house will be empty.

“Hey, Jules. Uh—Julienne, it’s me – uh, Walter. Listen, I know I was supposed to come back for Christmas, spend some time with Luke and all. But I’ve been thinking, and Luke’s never seen California. What if – um, what if he came out here and I spent a week showing him around? We could go visit a couple schools, see what he thinks. Uh, give me a call back and we can work something out? I don’t have my days off yet, but I’m sure James will work with me on it. Just, uh, let me know.”

He hangs up the phone and drags a hand down his face. Just in time for James to walk by. Of course.

“W? Everything OK?” James moves to pat Walter’s shoulder, but pulls away before making contact. “You, uh, you busy tonight?”

“Can I get back to you?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternatively titled: "Sports Make it Straight" and "Like Him? You Mean as a Friend, Right? Because We're Friends."

Six hours later, when his phone hasn’t rang, Walter catches James outside a patient’s room. “James.”

“W! Guess what? It’s working; Celia’s skin cells are actually growing over the sheep flesh! The coloration isn’t perfect, but it’s her skin, W! We did it!” James shoves Walter’s extended hand aside and throws his arms around the older man. Before Walter can reciprocate the hug, James has stepped back and is rubbing nervously at the back of his neck. “Anyway, you stopped me. What’s going on?”

“Nothing serious. I just wanted to let you know that I don’t have anything going on after we get off tonight.”

“Cool. You wanna get drinks or something? I can rent out part of a bar.”

“James, don’t—I don’t want you to go to the trouble. Listen, I just restocked my bar. Why don’t you come over and we’ll watch a game or something?”

“Yeah, a game sounds good.”

They stand there grinning at each other just long enough for it to feel weird before Walter breaks the silence.

“Uh – so, I’ll find you before I leave?” When James nods, Walter claps him on the shoulder and walks away. He spends the better part of the afternoon in his office, waiting for his phone to ring.

It doesn’t.

At 5:45, Walter gathers his things and heads toward the center of the building. Sure enough, James is sitting on the couch and scrolling through something on one of the hospital’s tablets. Walter steps into his field of vision and sets his bag down.

“James. Everything OK?”

“What? Oh, yeah. I’m just trying to figure out what to do about Celia. She was doing better, with the grow-a-graft, but now she’s got an infection. The new skin is fine, but I’m afraid that using antibiotics would cause more problems with her weakened immune system. But,” James sets the tablet aside and stands up. “We can get the team on it tomorrow. After all, the game starts at 6:30.”

“What game?”

“I dunno, but there’s so many sports on TV that something must be starting then. Point is, let’s get out of here.”

They drive separately back to Walter’s apartment, giving Walter time to think about how much his life has changed in the last six months. That long ago, he was standing in front of a review board in Ohio, explaining that the child would have died sooner if he hadn’t tried the new treatment. When they handed down the verdict, Walter figured his career in medicine was over.

He never would have imagined that he’d have a job at the most promising research hospital in the country, especially considering how reluctant he’d been to take the position when James offered it. Now, he can tell that he was worried that leaving Ohio would make things more distant with Julienne. Sure, he was right, but was it worth it? After all, they hadn’t been comfortable together for years.

They tried to enforce weekly date nights, but Walter was lucky if he could get off work on time once a month. Maybe he could have made more of an effort, but their “dates” were just two people sitting across from each other and talking about such safe topics as the weather and their kids.

In fact, Walter figures that he’s had a better relationship with James in the last few weeks than he had with his wife in the last several years of their marriage.

With that thought, he kills the engine and gets out to let James into the apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, we cover lots of ground here. Sports are watched, sons come to visit and there's an awkward conversation about two recent divorcees. Good luck!

“W, I’m telling you, that was a check!”

“And I’m telling you, James, that you don’t get ‘checked’ in soccer. That’s a hockey term.” Walter takes a sip of his beer, the third of the evening, and rolls his eyes.

“Regardless, the umpire made a bad call.”

“James, do you even watch sports?”

“No, W, I fancy myself a scientist.” James smirks and looks back to the screen. “Which means that while I may not understand sports, I know how to apply their ideas to medicine.”

“Celia?”

“Her immune system is the frontline to ward off infection. It’s on the way to deciding that the new skin cells are a foreign object. We can’t let that happen. So we take out the frontline of defense. What’s the group of guys who aren’t as good as the first players?”

“The second string?” The doctor tilts his head, trying to piece together James’s ideas.

“Exactly, W!” He grins in excitement, putting his drink down to gesture vividly. “We find the second string of antibodies – the cells that ward off viruses well enough to keep her from getting sick, but aren’t strong enough to get to the new skin cells.”

“James,“ Walter lifts a hand to interject. “This is a great start, but—“

“I know, bodies don’t produce secondhand cells. But _science_ can. We can get Angie on figuring out which part of the cell targets the more nuanced viruses – the details that are going to make her body reject the new skin.”

“I was going to say that it could wait until after the game.” Walter smiles fondly and sips his beer. But James is already tapping aggressively on his phone screen, presumably texting Angie about his breakthrough. “Alright, good talk.” There’s no malice behind it though, and they finish the game in companionable silence.

Dr. Wallace tells himself that he’s only watching James so closely to see if he hears back from Angie, but he suspects it may not be entirely true.

* * *

Three weeks later, Walter takes the day off work to meet his son at the airport. James offers him paid leave for the entirety of Luke’s visit, but Walter claimed to feel bad for leaving the hospital without a chief of medicine for two weeks. Really, he doesn’t know what he’d do for two weeks without seeing James.

Just because they’ve worked together so much since Walter moved out from Ohio. It’s strange to go from seeing someone every day to not seeing them at all. So strange, in fact, that it can put a strain on relationships. And Walter wouldn’t want his relationship with James to go the same direction as his relationship with Julienne. Not that it would; he and James are colleagues. Colleagues with a strictly professional, _working_ relationship, and nothing else.

So he just takes the day off, promising Luke his undivided attention on weekends and evenings, plus any days he can switch to the night shift or get off early. They go down to the pier and eat greasy street food while Luke rambles about the classes he’s taking, what he’s doing with his friends, what colleges he’s looking at.

But there’s one topic that never comes up.

“Buddy, you know you can talk about your mom, right? Just because we aren’t married anymore doesn’t mean that I don’t still care about her. I’ll always care about her, very much. She gave me you, after all.”

“Yeah,” Luke rubs the toe of his shoe against the pavement before he continues. “She doesn’t like when I talk about you. Says we shouldn’t worry ourselves with someone who’s too married to his job to worry back.”

Walter sucks in a breath. “Luke …”

“It’s not true, I know. But I just figured you wouldn’t wanna talk about her if she doesn’t wanna talk about you.”

“Luke, I know this has to be hard for you, and the last thing your mother or I want to do is put you in the middle of our argument. But you have to understand that this was not an easy decision to make. Part of me will always love your mother, but we just don’t love each other in a way that makes a compatible marriage.”

“So you still love Mom?” Luke licks a drop of ice cream off of his knuckle, avoiding eye contact.

“No, buddy, I don’t. Not like I did when we were younger. I love your mother for what she gave me: you, your sister and 23 of the happiest years of my life. But we weren’t having the happy years anymore, Luke, and I didn’t want to resent those times because we stayed together too long.”

“Oh.” That’s all either of them says until they get back to Walter’s apartment. Luke shuts himself in the guest room until Walter raps on the door.

“Hey, I’m going out for drinks with some people from work. Do you – uh – do you want to come? You can’t drink or anything, but I can get you some wings or a burger or something, if you want.”

“No thanks, Dad. I’m probably just gonna go to bed. Jet lag is kinda kicking my ass.”

“Language, Luke.” He rolls his eyes.

“Good night, Dad.”

“Night, Luke.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, lots of ground to cover. Thoughts? Favorite parts?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Father-son bonding! And drinks with coworkers that definitely aren't dates. Nope, not dates at all. (OK, fine, maybe a little bit.)

“W!” James lights up when he sees Walter across the bar. “You made it!” His face falls when Walter sits down and runs a hand down his face.

“Hey, James. Anyone else here?”

“No, uh—no. I figured you’d wanna spend time with Luke. How’s he doing?” 

“Good. He’s, uh, he’s good. Took him down to the pier for dinner, walked around some.” Clearly, James can tell that something else is on Walter’s mind. He wrinkles his face up in either confusion or irritation, and asks the question Walter’s been fearing.

“Have a good time?” There’s a heavy silence while Walter carefully considers his answer.

“It’s … nice … getting to see Luke again. But things were kind of weird, with the divorce and everything. You know, he’s with his mother most of the time, so he really only gets to hear one side of it.”

“Julienne talking shit about you?”

“I don’t know, but it feels like it. He asked me if I still loved her.”

“And? Do you?” The younger man waves a barkeep over and orders two more drinks, carefully avoiding eye contact with Walter.

“Part of me does. Part of me will always love her; she gave me the two brightest things in my world. But that doesn’t mean I can be married to her. Luke’s 17; he doesn’t understand that.”

“It’s like developing a food allergy. Just because you can’t eat ice cream now doesn’t mean you don’t still love the memories of dripping ice cream cones as a little kid.”

“That’s pretty pared down, but basically, yes. But that’s hard to understand when your longest relationship to date has lasted three months.”

“Listen, why don’t you have Luke come by the hospital tomorrow? He can see what you’re doing now and we can show off our science. Nothing gets the teenaged mind going quite like modifying organisms on the molecular level! Or is that just me?”

“Just you, James.” But Walter smiles, so he considers it a small victory. “And I appreciate the offer, but I think I’ll pass. It’s just that my marriage ended because of this job, and I don’t want to lose Luke to it too. No offense, of course. We’re doing the good work, and Julienne and I were on the rocks before that. I might take you up on the extra days off, though. Maybe take him to the batting cages or something.”

“Yeah, of course, W. Take tomorrow and spend with your kid. Even if he doesn’t want to let you in, be there. Sometimes, that’s all we can do for each other. Hey, I’ve got to get going. Let me know if he works things out?” When Walter nods, James claps him on the shoulder and slides off the barstool.

* * *

“Nice swing, Luke!” Walter claps his hands twice and watches the machine pitch another baseball.

He was right: taking Luke to the batting cages helped alleviate some of the tension from last night. Right up until he put the helmet on, Luke was telling stories about the guys on his team at school, which teams they think will do well next year, Luke even suggested they try to get tickets for a game next summer. Now, he’s standing safely behind the fences while his son hits pitch after pitch.

Walter can’t imagine a better way to spend his morning.

“Hey, Dad!” Luke drops the bat, sticking his hands and feet into the gaps in the chain link to get closer to Walter. “Remember when I was little and you’d take me to the batting cages? And we’d go get ice cream after? We should do that!”

“Of course, buddy. I know a great place to grab a scoop. We’ll drop by on our way back.” With that settled, Luke jumps down from the fence and picks up the bat.

Walter sees it almost before it happens: the machine _pops_ and pitches with robotic accuracy, sending the baseball soaring right where it should go – above the hip, below the face. Luke turns, but not fast enough. A sickening _whomp_ and Luke doubles over instantly, clutching his side.

“Luke!” Walter slams the emergency stop button and hardly notices the noise from the gate as it slams open in his rush to get to his son. He guides Luke to a sitting position. “Alright, easy there, buddy. Where’d it hit?” When Luke points at his ribcage, Walter sucks in a breath.

“Hurts, Dad.”

“I know, Luke. I’m gonna pull your shirt up and look at it, OK?” He winches on his son’s behalf when he sees that the injury is already turning purple around the bright red center. “Alright. Let’s see if we can get you up and go see someone about this, yeah?”

“Thought you were a doctor.” Luke tries to smile, but grunts when he tries to breathe.

“Yeah, but my professional opinion says X-rays.” Walter stands up, helping Luke to his feet. Together, they walk slowly to the car, where Walter eases Luke into his seat and pulls the buckle across his torso. Luke hisses at the contact. “I know, bud. But we’ve gotta follow the laws.” With that, he crosses the front of the vehicle, already reaching for his phone to dial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, my hand slipped and I hurt Luke.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of Luke's injury, someone other than James puts his/her foot in it.

“W! How’s it going?” James steps out of a patient’s room and slides his thumb across the screen.

“Hey, James. Listen, I’m taking you up on that offer to bring Luke by.”

“Of course! How’d the batting cages go?" 

“Well, that’s actually why we’re about five minutes out now. He took a pitch to the ribs and I’m thinking fractures.”

“W, we’re not a traditional hospital.”

“No, but Bunker Hill has an emergency department. And I really just need a bed and an X-ray machine.”

“What about conflict of interest?”

“Fine; a bed, an X-ray machine and 40 minutes of Dr. Channarayapatra’s time. We’re two minutes away.”

“Fine, but only because it’s you, Dr. Wallace.” James laughs and hangs up, just as he see’s Walter’s SUV pull up alongside the curb. He steps outside, offering a hand to help Walter get Luke out of the car. When he’s waved off, he steps back up to the curb and wedges his hands firmly in his pockets.

“Here we go, Luke.” Walter eases his son out of the car and slings an arm around his shoulder. “Easy does it.” They make it through the doors, but just barely, when Luke sucks in a shallow breath and asks for a chair. James, naturally, is right there with a wheelchair and the verbal “welcome to Bunker Hill” gift basket.

“Luke, it’s great to meet you. I’m James Bell. I run things around here, when your dad lets me.” He chuckles good-naturedly and continues. “We provide state-of-the-art care to everyone who passes through our doors, even if it is just a couple of fractured ribs. We’re gonna take great care of you, and you can be wherever you want in the world while we’re at it.” Walter pushes the chair into an exam room and sits down, letting James pick up a tablet and show Luke all of the features Bunker Hill has to offer.

“Dr. Bell,” Luke raises an arm to cut him off, wincing.

“Nope. Not a doctor. Couldn’t be bothered to do the whole med school thing. James, please.”

“Alright, James. This is all really cool, but I’d like it a hell of a lot more if my side didn’t hurt so much.”

“Luke—“ Walter interjects, intending to call Luke out on his language. But James interrupts him.

“No, W, he’s right. And he’s onto me. Your boy’s a smart one. I’m buying time.”

“What for?” Luke snaps his head up and groans at the sudden movement.

“Well, Luke, like I said, we offer only the best treatment. And that includes accommodating parent requests. Your dad wants you to see Dr. Channarayapatra – excellent choice, by the way; I’d trust her with my life – but she’s with another patient right now. So instead of making you feel like we have other cases that are more important than yours, I’m here distracting you with our amenities. That way, you don’t notice how long you’ve been waiting.”

“How is that state-of-the-art? It’s just you talking.”

“State-of-the-art doesn’t always mean technology. Sometimes it means—ah! Dr. Channarayapatra! Wonderful! This is Luke Wallace. He took a baseball to the side earlier and we’re worried about potential fractures.”

“James,” She turns away from the patient bed, pulling James with her. “I don’t want to sound insensitive, but why is he here? It’s maybe fractured ribs – maybe. Hardly the kind of rare medical mysteries we’re used to here.”

“Turn around, Dr. Channarayapatra. And smile when you see your boss sitting in the corner. W already knows what happened, but he can’t treat his own kid. It’ll only take you 20 minutes. We’re taking this one, and we’re doing it right.” With that, James pats her on the shoulder and disappears.

“Dr. Wallace!” She takes James’s advice, turning and smiling at the man in the corner. “What’s brought you in today?”

“Dr. Channarayapatra, this is my son Luke. Luke, Dr. Channarayapatra is going to handle your treatment.”

“Dr. Wallace, what happened?” Talaikha considers asking Luke directly, but he seems to be having enough trouble breathing so she decides not to add talking to the mix.

“Walter’s fine. We were at the batting cages and he took a pitch to the ribs. They felt fractured, but I wanted to have him checked out to be sure.”

“Alright. Luke, I’m sure it’s nothing too serious. I’ll order a chest X-ray before we do anything else. Walter, you know how this process works.” When he nods, she unhooks the tablet from the foot of the bed and starts typing. “Alright. Luke, can you sit all the way back for me?”

When he obliges, Dr. Channarayapatra swipes at the screen until a pair of red crosshairs appear. Luke raises an eyebrow as she moves to stand next to the screen and tilts the tablet up and down, moving the crosshairs slightly.

“James feels that doing as many procedures as possible from the patient’s room reduces stress levels,” Walter explains. “so he developed software to create completely flat X-ray cameras. We calibrate them with the tablets, and the images come up immediately.”

“So immediately, in fact,” Talaikha takes back over for Dr. Wallace, “that we have your diagnosis right now. It looks like you’ve got a pretty solid crack in three of your ribs, Luke, but they didn’t go all the way through. That’s a good sign; it’ll make healing easier. Did your dad have you take a deep breath?”

“No.”

“Can you try that for me? Pull as much air into your lungs as you can.”

Luke sucks in air for a couple seconds before clutching his side and coughing harshly. “I—I can’t. It hurts too much.”

“That’s fine, Luke. Thanks for trying. I would say that your father is right: you’ve cracked a few ribs. Good news is, they should heal on their own. Bad news, you’ll be pretty sore in the meantime. We can set you up with some painkillers, but you’ll need to hold off for 24 hours to reduce risk of bleeding.”

“What about a nerve block?” Walter steps forward, moving toward his son.

“All due respect, Dr. Wallace, I hardly think this is severe enough to justify such dramatic measures.” Dr. Channarayapatra draws her boss to the end of the bed, turning away from Luke and dropping her voice.

“Your patient – my son – is in pain, Dr. Channarayapatra. Are you really going to let him suffer?”

“No, but I’m not going to subject him to the side effects of a nerve block for three fractured ribs. And if he were anyone else, you wouldn’t either. Doctor, you saw the X-rays. Now, if you want to keep questioning my medical opinions, could I get you to do it from the waiting room?” She shoots Dr. Wallace a look that could readily put him in the ground.

“Luke? I’m gonna step out for a minute, go catch up with James.” Walter nods and leaves the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full disclosure, the whole bit there in Luke's room with James buying time and Dr. C not realizing it's her boss is basically my favorite part of this entire thing.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning: more awkward conversations and dad jokes. And a kiss. And seriously, lots of awkward. Like I wanted to hide under a blanket for these guys as I wrote this.

“Hey James, do you have a second?” Zoe catches him by the arm as he comes around the corner.

“Sure, Brockett. What’s up?" 

“Remember last month when you asked me out?”

“This _again_? Zoe, we’ve been over this: there’s no awkwardness between us. I’m over you.”

“I know. That’s actually what I wanted to talk about. You got over me awfully fast.”

“You weren’t interested.”

“No, and I don’t think you were either.”

“Brockett, I asked you out. Why would I do that if I weren’t interested?”

“Because you thought that it would be better to have unrequited love for me than whoever you’re _really_ into. Personally, I’d put my money on Dr. Wallace; the whole authority thing and whatnot. Besides, I’ve seen how you look at him.”

“Keep your voice down!” James drops his own tone to a harsh whisper. “I do _not_ have a crush on W.”

“I didn’t say you did.” Zoe interjects, but James keeps talking.

“A professional crush maybe. W’s insanely smart – that’s why I hired him in the first place. Who in their right mind wouldn’t admi—no! It’s not a crush; there’s no crush! Just keep it to yourself.”

“Alright,” Brockett lifts her hands in mock surrender. “You don’t have a crush on Dr. Wallace. But he looks at you like that too, you know.”

James can’t help jumping on her words. “He does? I-I mean, like what? Like colleagues?”

“Like he _cares_ about you, James. Like if you asked him out, he wouldn’t say no.”

“Brockett! We are not having this conversation! I have to go check on a patient. Over there.” James he waves vaguely and rushes off, colliding with Walter as he turns the corner.

“Whoa, James. Easy, there.” He catches the younger man by the shoulders, steadying him.

“A-OK. What about you, W?” James instantly realizes that his reply doesn’t fit what Walter said to him. “I mean – sorry. I didn’t see you coming.”

“That is how corners work, James. Is everything alright?”

“Fine. It’s all fine. How’s, uh, how’s Luke doing?”

“He’s gonna bounce back. Dr. Channarayapatra confirmed my diagnosis: three fractured ribs. Then she kicked me out of the room.”

“For what?”

“I let my personal ties get in the way of medical impartiality. She’s right; I wouldn’t let a loved one stay if they argued with me like that. I owe her an apology.”

“Maybe it’s best if you stay out of the way for a bit. Can I buy you a coffee?”

“Sure, I could use a drink. Suppose coffee’s the strongest I’ll get?” Walter chuckles as they turn toward the cafeteria.

“It is until I get off at five. But we could go get a drink then, if Luke is alright.”

“After this, I’d be surprised if he wanted to see me again before he leaves on Friday.” On that note, they finish the walk in silence.

Neither man speaks again until they’ve ordered their drinks and found a table. Just as the silence is lapsing from awkward to unbearable, James clears his throat.

“I’m sure he will.”

“Excuse me?”

“Want to see you again. Luke. I’m sure he will.” James tries again when Walter laughs dryly. “Really. You’re his dad, and this was an accident.”

“This was. The rest wasn’t.”

“The rest?” Now it’s James’s turn to be confused.

“Everything else that’s been weird between us this weekend. Julienne’s turning him against me, James. He thinks it’s my fault that she asked for a divorce. Hell, I don’t even know what she told him, but it can’t be good.”

“What is there to say about you that isn’t good? You try too hard to save lives? You’re too dedicated to caring for your patients?”

“Everyone has skeletons, James. They’re why closets exist.” Before James can push for more detail, Walter’s pager goes off. “That’s Dr. Channarayapatra. She’s ready to discharge Luke. I’ve- um—"

“Go. Tell Luke that I’m sure he’ll be back in prime shape before he knows it. And let me know if you want to go get real drinks later. Not that this wasn’t a real drink. Obviously coffee is a drink, it’s liquid and we consume it. That’s the only definition for drink. I meant like alcohol. Let me know if you want to get alcohol later.”

With that, James stands up and runs a hand through his hair. It’s something he’s done a million times before,

He leans down and presses his lips against Walter’s. It’s chaste, over almost before it begins, but nonetheless. James stands up, runs his hand through his hair again and clears his throat.

“Uh, talk to you later, I guess.”

Just like that, he disappears around the corner, leaving Walter to wonder what just happened.

* * *

Walter waits until 4:30 that afternoon to text James. He isn’t sure why he waits – it’s not like James is going to renege on his offer – but even then, it takes almost two minutes for him to work up the courage to push “send”. 

_Sent 4:32 PM_

_Still want to get alcohol tonight? –W_

The two minutes it takes James to reply feel like hours, as Walter curses himself for feeling like a high school girl.

_Received 4:35 PM_

_Should be off on time tonight, so sure. Meet where?_

_Sent 4:36 PM_

_My apt? Not sure I want to leave Luke on his own tonight. –W_

_Received 4:40 PM_

_See you then :-)_

With plans for the evening settled, Walter joins Luke in the living room, where he’s propped his son up on a small mountain of blankets and pillows.

“Hey buddy, how you feeling?”

“Hurts to breathe, but it’s not too bad.”

“What’s the pain, on a one to 10?”

“Maybe a three.”

“Good, that’s better than it was earlier. You remember James, from the hospital?” Walter takes Luke’s noncommittal hum as a cue to continue. “He’s going to swing by after he gets off tonight, have a drink or two.”

“He’s the guy you went out with the other night.” It isn’t a question.

“He is.”

“Do you like him?” Luke grunts as he pushes himself up a little further on the pillows.

“He’s a colleague and a close friend.”

“So you like him?”

“I enjoy his company.” But Luke is sharp, so he doesn’t let his dad get by with half-answers.

“Dad. Do you like James? I don’t care if you’re into guys. Jess is into girls, and it’s cool. I like Allie.”

It’s not that easy, and Walter knows that. But for just a second, he lets himself believe that things really can be one of two ways.

“I like spending time with James. If all he wants to do is drink after work and watch the occasional sports game together, that’s fine. But if he wants something else, I would be willing to consider other things.” Walter exhales heavily, thinking the conversation might be over.

“Other things like what? I’m a pretty good wingman, Dad. I helped Jackson make out with his date at homecoming. Want me to set you guys up?”

“No, Luke. I don’t need you to set me up with James.”

“So you’ve made out with him?” Luke is remarkably laid-back for someone talking to his father about making out with guys, but Walter guesses it must be a change of the times.

“Luke, we aren’t talking about this. Does it matter if I’ve done anything with James?”

“It matters if you’re happy. You and mom, you should be happy. Even if it’s not with each other.” 

“Luke, I’m – I’m glad you feel that way.” Walter knows this is going to be one of his proudest moments as a parent. “Now, James’ll be here in a half hour or so; do you want to join us for at least part of the evening? I know you’ve had a long day, but I’m sure he won’t mind.”

As Luke takes a minute and considers his response, Walter gets the chance to look at his son, really look at him, for the first time in many months. There aren’t any radical changes; his hair is the same color and there’s no piercings or tattoos. But somehow Luke looks more grown up than he did before the divorce. _How much pressure is Jules putting on him? Or is he putting it on himself?_

“Sure, I’ll stick around for a bit. You’ve got Coke, right?”

“As long as you mean the cola and not the drug.” Walter chuckles and pats Luke’s knee as he leaves the room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! The final chapter! What would it be without more awkwardness, but they settle down for a real grown-up conversation too. And also more making out.

True to his word, Luke sticks around for the first round of drinks (martini, scotch and Coke, respectively), before Walter helps him get off the couch and to bed without jostling his ribs too much. James offers to help, but Walter knows it’s hard enough for Luke to accept his help, never mind help from someone he just met this afternoon.

Once Luke is in bed and Walter is back to sitting opposite James on the couch, awkwardness fills the space between them. There are a couple minutes of stilted small talk before Walter cuts to the chase.

“So this afternoon.”

“This afternoon.” James isn’t sure where this is going, but he knows better than to push Walter into discussing it.

“You kissed me?” It’s a question; he’s looking for confirmation.

“I did.”

“Why?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. I’ve thought about it before, but didn’t plan to do anything. W. Listen, if this makes things weird between us, we can just forget the whole thing ever happened, yeah? I can go back to unrequited feelings; it’s not like it’s the first time.”

He’s so clearly given Walter an out. But Walter isn’t entirely sure he wants one.

 _How does he feel about James? He’s certainly never considered feelings for another man before. But James isn’t like any other man Walter’s ever met. He opened an entire hospital just to create new medical technology without the red tape. And he’s so, so kind to everyone who passes through the doors of Bunker Hill. Walter doesn’t know the last time he’s had such a close friend, save Jules, but look where that ended up. And James has a certain level of confidence and positivity that makes it hard_ not _to like him; he’s always so sure that things will work out the way he wants them to._

“Walter?” It’s the first time he’s seen James look hesitant, and one of the few times he’s been called by his first name.

 _Oh, what the hell_. He leans forward slowly, leaving time for James to back away. But James doesn’t pull back. In fact, he leans in to meet Walter’s lips in the middle of the couch.

Their second kiss isn’t much longer than their first, but at least they both know what’s happening. After a few seconds, Walter pulls back just far enough to rest his forehead against James’s and speak softly.

“We need to talk about this, before it goes any further.”

“I like kissing you, presumably you like kissing me. What’s left to talk about?”

“For one, I’m not gay.” Now, Walter does lean back. James shifts to sit closer to him, but keeps enough distance to avoid making the older man uncomfortable.

“So?”

“So, I’m not gay! For the love of god, I have an ex-wife!” He starts rubbing at the base of his ring finger, right where the wedding band used to sit.

“W, lots of gay guys have ex-wives. Besides, no one said you’re gay. I’m not gay.”

“James, we just kissed. You can’t kiss me and pretend you aren’t gay.” Walter’s aware of his voice getting higher, but he can’t help the rising panic. Divorced or not, he can’t help feeling like kissing James betrays part of the last 25 years of his life.

“Bi, W. I’m bisexual. Hot is hot, regardless of gender.” OK, that makes a little more sense. And it’s an idea Walter can wrap his head around.

“Alright, I can see that. But James, I’m old enough to be your father.” He knows it sounds like diversion. And, to be perfectly honest, Walter’s looking for problems with this relationship before he can get too invested.

“I’m not into that, W, but if you want me to …” James smirks as Walter hurries to cut him off.

“I never said that.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“I – I’m not sure, James. I’m not sure about any of this.”

“OK, what are you sure of?”

“I like spending time with you.”

“Easy enough. We can keep doing that. If it means we have drinks once a week and nothing else, that’s what it means. But if you want it to mean more than that, I’m probably willing to go for it. Maybe we kiss sometimes, maybe we don’t. Whatever works.”

“James, there’s all kinds of reasons this isn’t a good idea.”

“Like what?”

“Besides what I’ve already mentioned? My last relationship lasted 25 years – that’s over half my lifetime. I’m not exactly up on the latest dating trends. And we work together.”

“Sure, but you’re not my boss.”

“No, you’re mine.” Walter knows exactly how weak his reasoning is, but he needs to know that James has actually thought seriously about this.

“Only because I own the hospital. W, I’m not going to hold this against you. If Zoe and Malik can make it work, we can too. Do you want to make this work?”

“I want to try this, as long as we know what we’re going into, and we keep everything above board. Secrets never work in relationships, James. Especially when we have to work all day together. Can we agree to check the relationship at the door?”

“Definitely. And we’ll bring up any concerns before they get in the way of things. W, this might not last forever, but can’t we enjoy it while it does?”

Walter thinks for a minute and sighs. “Sure. Let’s take it one day at a time and see where it goes.”

Instead of responding, James climbs on top of Walter, straddling his hips, and kisses him deeply. His arms wrap around Walter’s neck as Walter’s find his hips and back, holding him steady.

So it might not be easy, and it might not last forever. There will inevitably be messes and fights. But in the meantime, Walter thinks James might just be able to make him happy again. He slips a thumb under the hem of James’s T-shirt, rubbing at the hot skin there, and sighs into his mouth as he realizes how ready is he to feel happy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Favorite parts? Just want to cry about how great this show is? I'm down for all of it lol


End file.
